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IT'S UNFAIR TO LABEL TRAGEDY AS A PIT BULL BREED ISSUE

One universal truth was left out of the story, "Pet's death raises breed issues." Dogs that have little to no training are less predictable than dogs that are socialized, trained and have had some consistency in their life, no matter what the breed. This was a tragic happening for Pamela Porillo. But the situation was more attributable to human error than the other dog supposedly being a pit bull.

Sierra may have had pit bull in her, but in my 10 years of instructing dog training classes, I have never seen a 21-pound pit bull. Sierra had an inconsistent life with many changes in environment as she was passed to a home in New York from a shelter in Kentucky. Female-to-female aggression can be more severe than any other type. Also, small dogs under 20 pounds are often allowed to have inappropriate behavior due to their size.

Dogs, like people, are highly affected by their environment. Responsible dog ownership, no matter what the breed, would have avoided this heartbreaking ending. This story was truly a tragedy, but to label it as a pit bull breed issue is not representing it fairly.